Why And How History Defines Who We Are (Part 8) By Mike Ozekhome, SAN

THE KINGDOM OF BENIN:

A QUINTESSENTIAL REMINDER OF THE IMPORTANCE OF
HISTORY

 INTRODUCTION

It has been breadth taking discussing the Benin Empire which we
were taught in Secondary School. But, because everything that has a
beginning must have an end, we shall, today, draw the curtain on
our discourse of this great Empire and take on another historical
personality head on, Mansa Musa I.

THE GRADUAL DECLINE (continues)

By the last half of the nineteenth century Great Britain had
become desirous of having a closer relationship with the Kingdom of
Benin. Several attempts were made to achieve this end beginning
with the official visit of Richard Burton in 1862. Following that
was an attempt to establish a treaty between Benin and the United
Kingdom by Hewtt, Blair and Annesley in 1884, 1885 and 1886
respectively. But Benin resisted signing a protectorate treaty with
Britain through most of the 1880s and 1890s. Progress was finally
made by Vice-Consul H.L Gallwey’s visit to Benin in 1892. This
mission was significant in several ways. It was the first Official
visit after Richard Burton’s in 1862, and it would also set in
motion the events to come that would lead to the Kingdom of Benin’s
demise.

During his visit, Vice-Consul H.L. Gallwey claimed to have
convinced the King of Benin to sign a formal agreement between the
kingdoms of Benin and Great Britain, which would come to be known
as “The Gallwey Treaty of 1892.” Contrary to the stories told by
Gallwey later, for a number of reasons there is still today some
controversy as to whether the Benin monarch actually agreed to the
terms of the treaty as Gallwey had claimed. First, at the time of
his visit to Benin the monarch could not welcome Gallwey or any
other foreigners due to the observance of the traditional Igue
festival which prohibited the presence of any non-native persons
during the ritual season. Also, even though Gallwey claimed the
King and his chiefs were willing to sign the treaty, it was common
knowledge that the ruler was not in the habit of signing one sided
treaties. The Treaty reads “Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain
and Ireland, Empress of India in compliance with the request of
[the] King of Benin, hereby extend to him and the territory under
his authority and jurisdiction, Her gracious favor and protection”
(Article 1). The Treaty also states “The King of Benin agrees and
promises to refrain from entering into any correspondence,
Agreement or Treaty with any foreign nation or power except with
the knowledge of her Britannic Majesty’s Government” (Article 2),
and finally that “It is agreed that full jurisdiction, civil and
criminal over British subject’s and their property in the territory
of Benin is reserved to her Britannic Majesty, to be exercised by
such consular or other officers as Her Majesty shall appoint for
the purpose…The same jurisdiction is likewise reserved to her
Majesty in the said territory of Benin over foreign subjects
enjoying British protection, who shall be deemed to be involved in
the expression “British subjects” throughout this Treaty” (Article
3).

It makes little sense that the monarch and his chiefs would
accept the terms laid out in articles IV-IX, or that he or his
chiefs would knowingly bestow their dominion upon Queen Victoria
for so little apparent remuneration. Under Article IV, the treaty
states that “All disputes between the King of Benin and other
Chiefs between him and British or foreign traders or between the
aforesaid King and neighboring tribes which cannot be settled
amicably between the two parties, shall be submitted to the British
consular or other officers appointed by Her Britannic Majesty to
exercise jurisdiction in the Benin territories for arbitration and
decision or for arrangement.”

The chiefs attest that the King of Benin did not sign the treaty
because he was in the middle of an important festival which
prohibited him from doing anything else (including signing the
treaty). The King maintained that he did not touch the white man’s
pen. Gallwey later claimed in his report that the King basically
accepted the signing of the treaty in all respects. Despite the
ambiguity over whether or not the monarch signed the treaty, the
British officials easily accepted it as though he did because they
were driven (to a large extent) by greed; British officials were
increasingly interested in controlling trade in Benin and also in
accessing the kingdom’s rubber resources to support their own
growing tire market. However, after Benin discovered Britain’s true
intentions, eight unknowing British representatives, who had been
sent to visit Benin were killed. As a result a Punitive Expedition
was launched in 1897. The British force, under the command of
Admiral Sir Harry Rawson, razed and burned the city, destroying
much of the country’s treasured art and dispersing nearly all that
remained. The stolen portrait figures, busts, and groups created in
iron, carved ivory, and especially in brass (conventionally called
the “Benin Bronzes”) are now displayed in museums around the world.
The King of Benin was eventually captured by the British, deposed
and sent to live out his days in Calabar, in southeastern Nigeria.
He died in 1914.

BENIN TODAY

The monarchy continues to exist today as one of the traditional
states of contemporary Nigeria. Ewuare II^[1], the present king, is
one of the most prominent of the various traditional rulers of Nigeria^[2]. (The end).

NOW THIS MANSA MUSA I

Mansa
Musa I^[3] was the ruler of
the Mali Empire^[4] in
West Africa^[5] from 1312 to 1337
CE. Controlling territories rich in gold^[6] and copper^[7], as well as
monopolizing trade^[8] between the north
and interior of the continent, the Mali elite grew extremely
wealthy. A Muslim like his royal predecessors, Mansa Musa brought
back architects and scholars from his pilgrimage to Mecca who would
build mosques and universities that made such cities^[9] as Timbuktu^[10] internationally
famous. Mansa Musa’s 1324 CE stopover in Cairo, though, would
spread Mali’s fame even further and on to Europe^[11] where tall tales
of this king’s fabulous wealth in gold began to stir the interest
of traders and explorers. Mansa Musa, the Mali Empire^[12]’s greatest ever ruler,
was said to have spent so much gold in the markets of
the Egyptian^[13] city^[14] that the value of
bullion crashed by 20%.

AND THIS DEATH^[15] &
SUCCESSORS

Mansa Musa was succeeded first by his son Mansa Maghan I (r.
1337-1341 CE), who had also ruled as regent while his father had
been on his famous pilgrimage, and then by his brother Mansa
Sulayman.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

“No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the
biography of great men”. (Thomas Carlyle).

 LAST LINE

I thank Nigerians for always keeping faith with the Sunday
Sermon on the Mount of the Nigerian Project, by Chief Mike
Ozekhome, SAN, OFR, FCIArb., Ph.D, LL.D. I enjoin you to look
forward to next week’s treatise.

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